A Nova Scotia woman is sharing her inspiring story of strength and willpower as she competes in grueling CrossFit competitions and raises her daughter, all while battling brain cancer.

Charmaine Wilson first walked into CrossFit Kinetics in Halifax with her daughter, Rory, about a year-and-a-half ago.

“Met a bunch of really awesome women who were really supporting each other,” says Wilson. “Got Rory into the mix, so she saw women just hanging out together and really just lifting each other up.”

CrossFit brought 47-year-old Wilson’s personal fitness to a whole new level, but she also found a community that had a positive impact on her mental health.

“That whole community lifts you up, both physically and mentally,” she says.

She didn’t know at the time how much she would come to rely on the support of her fellow CrossFitters.

In December, a blinding headache sent Wilson to the emergency room. At first, doctors thought she had suffered a stroke.

“It was a few days and I had a visit from the neurosurgeon when I was still at the hospital, telling me it was a brain tumour and they were going to remove it and then figure out what it was,” recalls Wilson.

Wilson received her test results over Christmas. She was diagnosed with Grade 3 anaplastic astrocytoma – a rare malignant brain tumour.

She undergoes radiation treatment five days a week, but that hasn’t stopped her from exercising. Last weekend Wilson competed in the CrossFit Open – a five-week challenge grueling for anyone, let alone someone battling brain cancer.

“My hope is that what I’ve been doing has at least stopped the growth,” says Wilson.

The single mom says she wants to push herself to her physical limits for herself, her CrossFit family, and for her 11-year-old daughter.

“Rory is certainly getting to see that even if you’ve got something going on, you can still fight it,” says Wilson. “If she can take something away from this experience that’s going to propel her in a positive way to reach her goals, that’s the best any parent can hope for, cancer or not.”

“She’s strong and she’s funny,” says Rory of her mother. “And she’s definitely not afraid to say what she thinks!”

The median life expectancy for someone with Wilson’s type of brain cancer is two to three years, but she has applied the same determination it takes to compete in CrossFit to fighting her disease.

Rory says that determination is an inspiration to her and to others.

“I feel like if she can work that hard with brain cancer, then a lot of people should probably try it.”

As for her CrossFit family, Wilson says they continue to support her and she knows she can rely on them for help, if needed.

“If something does happen and I’m not lucid and maybe I’m not able to care for Rory the way she needs to be cared for, you know, my family is there and I have that support system, but if I didn’t have that, I know I could reach out to any person at that gym and they’d come to get her in a second.”

Wilson also points out that she doesn’t believe there is enough support for children in Nova Scotia who have a loved one battling a serious illness or disease. While there are programs for children with cancer and those who have lost a loved one, there is a void for children like her daughter, and she would like to see more in place.

She’s also sharing some advice for anyone facing a health crisis of their own.

“Don’t let it get to you to the point where it’s sucking everything out of you, because it doesn’t have to.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jayson Baxter